Kamimine Elementary School, Saga Prefecture.
They introduced 15 minutes lesson using “Hi, Friends!’ for elementary school 6th graders.
Elementary school students who can “speak English with foreigners alone” increased from 23% to 73%!
What is “5-year pre-emption policy” in Kamimine-cho, Saga prefecture, which puts emphasis on developing global human resources by utilizing ICT.
In the class for sixth grade, they feel confident that they can make themselves understood in English.
Questionnaire results
Through the lesson, they gradually became accustomed to communicate with foreigners, and they were able to speak positively. As a result of having the feeling what they talk can actually get through, they were able to work confidently about asking back when they were not sure or asking what they wanted to ask.
Do you like talking to foreign people?
[Awareness concerning language and culture]
Students who answered “like” increased from 58% to 97%
[Interest, motivation, attitude towards communication]
Students who answered “nervous” increased from 87% to 38%
[Interest, motivation, attitude towards communication]
Students who answered “Yes” increased from 23% to 73%
[Familiarity with foreign language activities]
Students who answered “Yes” increased from 66% to 96%
Interview
Get rid of English and cultural barriers by introducing lessons
Yasue Nonaka: Vice principal Kamimine Elementary school
Hisayuki Yadoumaru: Education Chief of Kamimine Education Committee
Makoto Yoshida: Secretary General and Chief of Education Section of Kamimine Education Committee
Kamimine-cho, Miyaki-gun, Saga Prefecture, which says the town’s comprehensive strategy as “advanced land of agriculture and education”. Efforts to pioneer the nation are gathering attention, such as introducing education that utilizes online at junior high school in 2014 and introducing online English lesson system to elementary school in 2015.
Yadoumaru, and Yoshida, (in charge of practical affairs), Nonaka, we asked them about ICT effect, student reactions, and hurdles and future tips to introducing online English lessons.
Prepare the movement of the country five years ahead of globalization
– First of all, please tell us the background why Kamimine start to put effort into ICT education.
Yadoumaru: Kamimine-cho is in Saga prefecture, located in the northern part of Kyushu, truly surrounded by rice paddies and mountains but children are feeling relaxed and free.
There is no foreigner in such a place, usually I do not really hear or talk about foreign language.
But in 2015, as a measure of the country there is a regional creation precedent type grant project, and Kamimine is also certified as a target organization. As a town we have decided to put my emphasis on “education” as a concrete measure by honing the philosophy “Energetic spirit creation base created by all, Kamimine”. At that time just because Saga Prefecture was trying to promote ICT, I thought about making people based on ICT in education field.
First, we promoted on-line individual supplemental learning of the first-grade students of Kamimine Junior High School, one-on-one specializing in English and mathematics subjects. As a result of questionnaires, 95% answered “understood well” or “understood” we got well received, so we asked if elementary school can introduce this as online in English lesson with one-on -one as well. However, because we are going home in group, Elementary school students cannot carry out lessons after school. Therefore, we made a public offering to all over the country immediately that there could be places in the class.
From now on, globalization is necessary after all. Actually, we have foreign tourists also in Kamimine, and there will be children who will go abroad from Kamimine in the future as well. In the movements of the country we are going to be in 2020, but in Kamimine town, we decided to give priority to keeping ahead of five years in advance to children who have language skills. It is about addressing globalization.
– You said you were focusing on education, is there any subjects other than English are you focusing?
Yadoumaru: If it is not English, mathematics. As I mentioned earlier, because we can do it one-on-one after school, we can also eliminate the so-called ‘first year of junior high school gap’ (*problems that occur due to drastic changes in the environment of studentscompared with that of Elementary school)
Furthermore, it is necessary for elementary school to improve academic ability of mathematics, and from 2015 we are also promoting classes specialized in mathematics.
However, as a personal opinion, I think that we want to improve their Japanese ability as well
A real global human resource is ”people who know Japan”
Kamimine Elementary School
– Do you mean to speak logically or read emotions?
Yadoumaru: Indeed they are also important, after all, if there is no Japanese language ability or knowledge of Japan, global talent in real sense will not grow up, English does not grow, right? It will foster “speaking” ability.
Even with revision of the study curriculum guidance for next time, we are also putting emphasis on history, culture, etc. as we have to develop identities as Japanese people. So now, in Kamimine we are telling firmly about traditional culture and local industry by hoping to nurture children’s history and local-rooted children. Elementary school students are actively going outside to receive support and guidance from the local community and value the contact with the community. Junior high school students are also making various efforts such as dispatching to the events of the town.
In the first place, if you do not have a foundation as a Japanese person, you cannot speak even if you go outside. When I go abroad, “What kind of country is Japan?” “What kind of place do you live in?” “What is your special product?” are absolutely asked. You cannot answer that you do not know.
– It is important to have an approach from both sides, to know and say it, and to improve your English skills.
The hurdle for introducing online English lessons is stable Skype connection.
Before the class, PC set in the desk
– Were there any hurdles in introducing online English lessons?
Yadoumaru: I faced internet access difficulties. As it is a machine, you cannot go as you expected. Or you just need to find how you can manage connecting internet stably without trouble. Only thing I was worried is that it would move smoothly. I was worried about the internet accessibility rather than the company of RareJob itself. Mr. Sugiyama, sales representative of RareJob, came over and over again, reworking, pulling the internet line all over again…
– Did the internet access change significantly before and after installation?
Yoshida: It changed a lot. Before the introduction, descending data communication for viewing became faster, but the action to send data is the first neck. It was really trial and error, I did not know the equipment-related contractor, try increasing the number of access points for the time being, or only after access restrictions were applied in the end, if it were increased it would be connected properly. I was getting to know a lot later in the trial and error of the actual site. Usually it is one-on-one when you are actually teaching at RareJob, but in class, 30 to 40 people use one line at a time, so strengthening was necessary. I learned since it was a new attempt. I expect the line will be reinforced thanks to the newly constructed center in Philippines.
– Thank you. I understood well that it is harder to imagine preparing ICT environments at school than I imagined.
Yoshida: The supplier who pulls the line also has just a little more knowledge than electric shops, so many things they do not understand.
As the education chief has said, at home it is one-on-one, but at school 30 to 40 people enter the line at once, so you know only when you try to do that.
– Indeed, when you use video with large capacity, unexpected happens.
Promise with Mayor, “Let’s get ahead for 5 Years in 2020”
– Well, what was the difference between the case of only ALT （Stands for “Assistant Language Teacher”. Most of them are native English speakers）teacher and the one using online lessons at the same time after actually being introduced? Also please tell us the reactions of the students.
Yadoumaru: The goal of the Board of Education was to “increase the absolute amount of English conversation”. First of all I thought that it was the first priority to give confidence and lower the wall for foreigners. Regarding this, in the questionnaire, the result that the child “I can speak English with foreigners alone” increased from 23% to 73%, for sure. I was thinking of guiding that another goal is not to learn English, to read and write for the first time when they went to junior high school, but to be exposed and learn English from the time of elementary school, to be able to smoothly move to the first English lesson. It was a promise with the mayor to try to get ahead for 5 years in 2020. It is a bridge to junior high school. In that sense as well, 96% of the children in the questionnaire realize that they are successful, as they answered “I can understand even a little about what foreign people are talking about”.
But actually, I was worried about the beginning of class. First of all, we talked about whether they would take a lesson in a group of four people one or two times, and then gradually they would become able to take lesson alone, but then I realized if we did that they would not have improve English forever. So “Let’s do them alone from the beginning anyway! “That is why.
– Did the students feel confused when the instructor could only speak English?
Yadoumaru: Of course they were confused (lol). They were confused, but there is a teacher beyond the PC and they must manage somehow. They managed to do it by themselves and their homeroom teacher, teacher of ALT, staff of the Board of Education supported it.
Nonaka: That’s right. Also, the teaching materials have helped partly. Children are taught in advance by ALT teacher in the lesson, but even if children did not have a worksheet, I think that it was difficult. Even if taught in advance, it is still difficult after all. Since there is a worksheet at hand, it is in a hole-filling form, so it turned out that if you change the part of the parentheses somehow they will be able to communicate, the children were relieved. And even if they cannot fill in the hole, the teacher will return with a smile, so the children received lessons with confidence.
-I see. There are also many things saved by the instructor’s smile while studying.
Finally, please let us know if you have anything to expect from RareJob.
Yadoumaru: They will be asked to read and write, so I would be happy if they could be exposed the alphabet etc. during the lesson. For example, there are times when the theme is based on national flags, so “This country’s name is written like this”, saying that I write it, and incorporate reading and writing, it would be nice to be appealing to the vision I guess.
Even in the questionnaire to junior high school students conducted by the Ministry of Education, the result is that it would have been better to study reading and writing English at elementary school. In response to that, we have also been able to revise the current study curriculum guidelines, which has led to the formalization of English subject.
– They can also train writing using Skype’s chat, too. I would like to share and improve within the company and to be able to train all four skills.
We will promote our students to have a wonderful English experience this year also.
Thank you very much.
A world of 1 vs 1 that cannot avoid speaking
I asked Professor Yoshiyuki Ogomori at Kamimine Elementary School, the 6th grade teacher, about how children are doing during the lesson.
In the first their experience, there were more children saying “I made myself understand!” “It was fun!” rather than feeling worried. In ALT class, there are some child who is hiding at 1 vs 30. But when it is online, you must absolutely speak. So, in the preliminary lesson of online lessons in ALT, everyone is taking notes so hard. I think that they have a feeling “T have to speak somehow!”
